The subjective impression of vehicle steering systems can be influenced by system behavior at the end of travel. A negative impression can occur if there is a harsh, abrupt feeling when steering into the corners. In some applications, a metal-on-metal clunk due to the steering rack end of travel hardware causes both audible and tactile annoyances.
In present applications, the end-of-travel feel is influenced primarily by the rack-and-pinion travel stop compliance. If a deficiency in the subjective impression is found at end-of-travel, cost and/or timing may prohibit finding a solution through changes to the rack and pinion travel stops.